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Perseus

A Perseus who is on a quest for self-improvement; his Bildungsroman. Living his existence on the island was an unusual and limiting experience. Not knowing much about the world and eager to please he accepted a quest: in order to be accepted and not be the odd man out he was to accomplish a task; turn Medusa into Aphrodite.

She often came off as a damaged soul, always looking for sympathy. Her past left a wasteland of petrified souls. It was foolish of Perseus to think he could tame such a wild beast, but he wanted to be a good guest. Also being a naive a noble soul didn’t help matters.

When he met her she did not fit her reputation. Her fard (makeup) concealed her true nature. Saying all the right things despite evidence to the contrary, Perseus was falling for her seductive gaze: his will power is not enough. He is at risk of ending up like all the others, a stone cold fool.

Before fully succombing to Medusa he remembered the words of Athena and used them as a shield. Athena’s words reminded the young warrior that Medusas ugliness came from her soul and not her snakes. Unable to get her to see her own reflection he had mustered the will to escape. Having failed at the task set forth he can claim a victory of sorts. He realized that even in failure there can be a measure of success.